• Getting Unstuck: He discusses a simple practice for the new year: humbling oneself enough to ask, “What is the next small thing I should fix?” rather than seeking grand answers.
• Show Evolution: He outlines how the podcast will evolve to feature guests revealing the times they were humbled and what they learned, with the goal of connecting more deeply and getting better one step at a time.
• Communication Training: For those interested in sharpening communication—negotiation, storytelling, conflict navigation, and presenting ideas—Crowe is running his Interest-Based Communicating course (online and in-person in St. Louis).

In this Christmas special of The Ag Tribes Report, I pause the weekly news breakdown to share a chapter-in-progress from my upcoming book on interest-based communicating—practical ways to create deeper, more meaningful conversations over the holidays and beyond. I tell the story of a second mate who taught me it’s better to be interested than interesting, then walk through how presence turns conversations into a kind of meditation: put the phone away, make eye contact, breathe, and really listen. I cover common pitfalls like fast matching and internal tripping, why mirroring has its place, and simple tools that change everything—body-language feedback, the three-word prompt “tell me more,” and question types that draw people out, like “beautiful questions,” contrast questions, and spotting “tiny choices” in a story. I also explain why “how” beats “why” for uncovering real motivations, and close with a reminder about the law of mutual self-disclosure: don’t ask questions you wouldn’t answer yourself. Whether you’re talking with grandparents, welcoming a new in-law, or trying to better connect with employees and vendors, this episode offers specific, repeatable techniques to help you listen with attention, ask with intention, and discover the kind of shared insight that makes conversations memorable—and relationships stronger.

For more on Interest Based Communication: https://www.vancecrowe.com/interest-based-communication
For a Legacy Interview: https://www.legacyinterviews.com/

In this week’s Ag Tribes Report on The Vance Crowe Podcast, host Vance Crowe tosses the script and sits down with returning guest “NNZP,” a veteran CEO and global manufacturer who joins anonymously to speak candidly about the world economy. They dig into Europe’s rapid de-industrialization, energy policy missteps, and why cheaper Chinese imports may be a short-term fix with long-term strategic risks. NNZP explains China’s deflationary “involution,” the chasm between commanded capacity and real demand, and how that excess is being exported—pressuring Western industry and defense resilience. They explore supply-chain fragility from chips to pharma inputs, the knock-on effects for agriculture, and why abundant, affordable energy (including nuclear) underpins everything. They also discuss the “debasement trade,” hard assets, and what investors might consider in a world of persistent inflation and policy intervention. NNZP offers a contrarian ag take on when solar can be the highest-and-best use of certain lands, the future of ethanol in an EV world, and why nuclear may arrive first for data centers, not households. Despite near-term turbulence, they end on pragmatic optimism about America’s capacity to adapt once incentives and priorities realign.

Resources: Find NNZP on X/Twitter at @nnzp1730
for more on Legacy Interviews: https://www.legacyinterviews.com/
for more on Vance Speaking: https://www.vancecrowe.com/
To buy Bitcoin and support the show: https://river.com/invite?r=OAB5SKTP